?

a while / awhile: “A while” is a noun phrase; awhile is an adverb.

all together / altogether: All together now — “We will refrain from using that two-word phrase to end sentences like this one altogether.”

amend / emend: To amend is to change; to emend is to correct.

amount / number: Amount refers to a mass (“The amount saved is considerable”); number refers to a quantity (“The number of dollars saved is considerable”).

between / among: The distinction is not whether you refer to two people or things or to three or more; it’s whether you refer to one thing and another or to a collective or undefined number — “Walk among the trees,” but “Walk between two trees.”

biannual / biennial: Biannual means twice a year; biennial means once every two years.

bring / take: If it’s coming toward you, it’s being brought. If it’s headed away from you, it’s being taken.

compare to / compare with: “Comparing to” implies similarity alone; “compare with” implies contrast as well.

compliment / complement: To compliment is to praise; to complement is to complete.

comprise, consist of / compose, constitute: Comprise means “include,” so test by replacement — “is included of” is nonsense, and so is “is comprised of.” The whole comprises the parts or consists of the parts, but the parts compose or constitute the whole.

connote / denote: To connote is to convey (“Air quotes connote skepticism or irony”); to denote is to specify (“A stop sign denotes the requirement to halt”).

continual / continuous: Continual events are frequently repeated, or intermittent. Continuous events are uninterrupted, or constant.

credible / credulous: To be credible is to be authoritative; to be credulous is to be gullible.

deserts / desserts: If you eat only cake, pie, ice cream, and the like, you eat just desserts. If you have it coming to you, you get your just deserts as well. (However, the connotation is negative, so hit the gym.)

different from / different than: The former phrase is preferred in formal writing; but “differently than” is always correct usage.

discreet / discrete: Discreet means “subtle”; discrete means “separate.” (“He discreetly reminded them of their discrete meanings.”)

each other / one another: “One another” is preferred in formal writing when more than two of something are being discussed.

economic / economical: Economic refers to the science of economics;economical suggests frugality.

elemental/elementary: What’s elemental is essential or integral to nature; what’s elementary is basic.

ensure / insure / assure: To ensure is to guarantee, to insure is to indemnify, and to assure is to comfort or convince.

epidemic / endemic / pandemic: An epidemic is the outbreak of disease in a limited place and time; an endemic disease is a recurring one peculiar to a place or population; a pandemic is pervasive over a wide geographical area.

forgo / forego: To forgo is to go without; to forego is to go before (and is generally used only in the forms foregoing and foregone, which are themselves rare).

gibe / jibe / jive: To gibe (soft g, as in gym) is to taunt or insult (thoughjibe is an alternate spelling), to jibe with is to coincide or fit, to jive is to deceive.

historic / historical: Something historic is remarkable for its impact on history; something historical is simply an event in history.

home in / hone in: To home in is to close in; to hone in is to confuse one word for another. (“Hone in” has no meaning.)

jealousy / envy: Jealousy is resentment; envy is covetousness.

lay / lie: Lay is transitive, associated with a direct object — “Lay that pencil down.” “Yesterday, I laid that pencil down.” “That pencil has been laid down.” Lie is intransitive, not so associated — “Lie down.” “Last night, I lay down.” “It was my plan to have lain down already.

leach / leech: To leach is to dissolve by percolation; to leech is to remove blood with a leech or to exhaust; as a noun, it means a parasitic worm or the human figurative equivalent, or the edge of a sail (also spelledleach).

libel / slander: Libel is written defamation; slander is the spoken equivalent.

may / might: May refers to factual or possible; might is appropriate for the hypothetical or counterfactual.

nauseous / nauseated: To be nauseous is to cause sickness. To be nauseated is to feel sick.

notable / noticeable / noteworthy: Something notable is worthy of note. Something noticeable is capable of being noticed. Noteworthy is a synonym of notable, though the former implies the unusual and the latter the commendable.

partly / partially: Partly means “in part”; partially means “incomplete” or, rarely, is an antonym for unfairly.

peak / pique: To peak is to reach the pinnacle; to pique is to arouse interest or to bother.

people / persons: People has assumed primacy; persons is reserved mostly as a synonym for bodies (“those belongings carried on their persons”).

persuade / convince: To persuade someone is to motivate them to do something; to convince someone is to lead them to understand or believe.

predominantly / predominately: Both forms are correct, but predominantly predominates.

purposely / purposefully: What’s done purposely is done on purpose; what’s done purposefully is done with a purpose.

regrettably / regretfully: Regrettably is a synonym for unfortunately;regretfully means just that — full of regret.

repetitive / repetitious: Both terms have acquired a negative connotation, but the former retains a more neutral meaning.

sensual / sensuous: Sensual has an erotic connotation; sensuous refers more neutrally to what is pleasurable to the senses.

since / because: Informally, these terms are interchangeable, but in formal writing, since should be used only to refer to time.

stationary / stationery: To be stationary is to stand still; stationery refers to letter-writing materials.

that / which: That is used restrictively (“The pencil that is sharp” — among more than one pencil, the one with that characteristic); which is employed nonrestrictively (“The pencil, which is sharp” — one pencil alone, possessing that characteristic). The distinction is rarely observed other than in American English.

tortuous / torturous: A tortuous experience is a winding one; a torturous one is painful.

transcript / transcription: A transcript is a thing; a transcription is the process of creating it.

verbal / oral: Verbal refers to both written and spoken communication, but oral is useful for distinguishing the latter from the former.

while / although / whereas: Informally, while is a synonym for the other two terms, but in formal writing it should be reserved for temporal connotations.

wreak / wreck: These terms do not share etymological origin; you wreck a party, but you do so by wreaking havoc.

whether / if: Both words are correct in expressing a choice, but the former is more appropriate in formal writing (“I can’t decide whether to go”), whereas the latter is better reserved for reference to possibility or probability (“I’ll go if you do”).

Length:

• 1 inch = 2.54 cm
• 1 mile = 1.6 km
• 1 km = 1000 m
• 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm = 10⁹ nm
• Planck Legnth = 1.616252x10^-35 m = sqrt (h_bar G/c³)
• Classical Electron Radius = 2.81794x10^-15 m = e²/ m_e c²
• Proton Radius = 0.83x10^-15 m = 0.83 femtometer = 0.83x10^-13 cm
• 1 Angstrom = 10^-10 m = 10^-8 cm
• 1 Earth Radius = 6.37814x10⁸ cm = 6.37814x10⁶ m (Equatorial)
• 1 Jupiter Radius = 7.1492x10⁹ cm = 7.1492x10⁷ m (Equatorial)
• 1 Solar Radius = 6.9599¹⁰ cm = 6.9599x10⁸ m (Equatorial)
• 1 Moon’s Mean Orbital Radius = 384,400 km = 3.8440x10⁸ m
• 1 AU = 1.4960x10¹¹ m = 1.4960x10⁸ km (Astronomical Unit)

• 1 ly = 9.4605x10¹⁵ m = 9.4605x10¹² km (light year)

• 1 pc = 3.0857x10¹⁶ m = 3.0857x10¹³ km = 3.261633 ly = 206264.806 AU (parsec) = 3.0857x10¹⁸ cm

• 1 Mpc = 10⁶ pc (Megaparsec) = 3.0857x10²⁴ cm

• D_H = c/H0 = 3000 h^-1 Mpc = 9.26x10²⁷ h^-1 cm (The Hubble Scale)

Angles:

• 1° = 1 degree = 60’ = 60 arcminutes
• 1’ = 60” = 60 arcseconds
• 1 radian = 360° /2 pi = 57.2957795131° = 206264.806”
• Area of a Sphere = 41252.96124 square degrees = 4 pi Steradians

Mass:

• 1 amu = 1.6605402 x10^-24 gram = 1.6605402 x10^-27 kg
• 1 amu c² = 931.49432 MeV
• 1 Hydrogen Atom Mass = 1.007825 amu = 1.673534 x10^-24 gram
• 1 Helium 4 Atom Mass = 4.00260325415 amu
• 1 Carbon 12 Atom Mass = 12.0000000 amu
• 1 Proton Mass = 1.6726231 x10^-24 gram
• 1 Neutron Mass = 1.674920 x10^-24 gram
• 1 Electron Mass = 9.1093897 x10^-28 gram
• 1 kg = 2.20462 lb
• 1 Solar Mass = 1.989x10³³ gram = 1.989x10³⁰ kg
• 1 Jupiter Mass = 1.899x10³⁰ gram = 1.899x10²⁷ kg
• 1 Earth Mass = 5.9736x10²⁷ gram = 5.9736x10²⁴ kg
• 1 Lunar Mass = 7.3477x10²⁵ gram = 7.3477x10²² kg
• (Proton Mass)/(Electron Mass) = 1836.15
• Earth’s Mean Density = 5515.3 kg/m³
• Moon’s Mean Density = 3346.4 kg/m³

Time:

• 1 Planck Time = 5.39124x10^-44 s = sqrt (h_bar G/c⁵)
• 1 Sidereal Day = 23^h 56^m 04.09054^s
• 1 Solar Day = 24^h = 86400 s
• 1 Sidereal Year = 3.155815x10⁷ s
• 1 Tropical Year = 3.155693x10⁷ s

Energy:

• 1 Joule = 2.39x10^-1 calorie
• 1 Joule = 10⁷ ergs
• 1 eV = 1.602177x10^-12 erg = 1.602177x10^-19 Joule
• 1 Solar Luminosity = 3.826x10³³ ergs/s = 3.826x10²⁶ Joules/s = 3.826x10²⁶ Watts
• Sun’s Absolute Magnitude V = 4.83, B = 5.48, K = 3.28
• Vega’s Absolute Magnitude V = 0.58, B = 0.58, K = 0.58

Temperature:

• Solar Surface Effective Temperature = 5770 K

Physical Constants:

• Avogadro’s Number = N_A = 6.0221367x10²³ /mole
• Gravitational Constant = G = 6.67259x10^-8 cm³ gram^-1 s^-2 = 4.301x10^-9 km² Mpc M_Sun^-1 s^-2
• Planck’s Constant = h = 6.6260755x10^-27 erg s
• Speed of Light = c = 2.99792458x10¹⁰ cm s^-1 = 2.99792458x10⁸ m s^-1
• Boltzmann’s Constant = k = 1.380658x10^-16 erg K^-1
• Stefan-Boltzmann Constant = &sigma = 5.67051x10^-5 erg cm^-2 K^-4 s^-1
• Radiation Density Constant = a = 7.56591x10^-15 erg cm^-3 K^-4
• Rydberg = R_H = 1.09677585x10 ⁵ cm^-1
• Electron charge = e = 4.8032x10^-10 esu = 1.6022x10^-19 Coulomb
• 1 Coulomb = 6.24151x10¹⁸ e

This map has been created by compiling reports from trusted accounts on Twitter. Nonetheless, these reports are in general unconfirmed. This information should be considered in the context of there being absolutely no independent media in Libya at this time. This map is not automatically produced. Each posting is considered before it is mapped. These considerations have evolved over time as conditions on the ground have changed. If you have any questions you can contact me via Twitter @Arasmus.

Because of the difficulty in properly translating Arabic town-names into English, reports including latitude and longitude data are preferred. Watch this video to see how to find latitude and longitude using Google Maps:

http://youtu.be/krWf2ZVw6_M

You can also hear up-to-the-minute personal audio reports from people inside Libya by visiting:

http://audioboo.fm/feb17voices


View Mapping Violence Against Pro-Democracy Protests in Libya in a larger map

 ….first one since 2003.

As well as that 2011 is the sum of 11 CONSECUTIVE prime numbers:

157 + 163 + 167 + 173 + 179 + 181 + 191 + 193 + 197 + 199 + 211 = 2011

and also the sum of three consecutive primes (661+673+677).

…which God? 

Achelois, Achelous, Acheron, Achilles, Achthonian, Acidalia, Adamanthea, Adephagia, Adonis, Adrastea, Adrasteia, Aeacos, Aeacus, Aegaeon, Aegina, Aegle, Aello, Aellopos, Aeolos, Aeolus, Aer, Aesculapius, Aethalides, Aether, Aethon, Aetna, Agave, Agdistes, Agdos, Aglaea, Aglaia, Aglauros, Aglaurus, Agraulos, Agrotara, Agrotora, Aiakos, Aigle, Aiolos, Air, Aither, Alcemana, Alcides, Alcmena, Alcmene, Alcyone, Anahit, Astghik, Amanor, Aray, Alecto, Alectrona, Alexandra, Aloadae, Alpheos, Alpheus, Amalthea, Amaltheia, Amarynthia, Ampelius, Amphion, Amphitrite, Amphitryon, Amymone, Ananke, Andromeda, Antaeus, Antaios, Anteros, Anticlea, Antiklia, Aramazd, Antiope, Apate, Aphrodite, Apollo, Apollon, Arachne, Arcas, Ares, Arethusa, Argeos, Argus, Ariadne, Arion, Arion, Aristaeus, Aristaios, Aristeas, Arkas, Artemis, Asclepius, Asklepios, Asopus, Asteria, Asterie, Astraea, Astraeus, Atalanta, Ate, Athamas, Athamus, Athena, Athene, Atiratu, Atlantides, Atlas, Atropos, Attis, Attropus, Augean Stables, Augian Stables, Aurai, Autolycus, Autolykos, Auxesia, Bacchae, Bacchantes, Balius, Bellerophon, Bia, Bias, Boreads, Boreas, Briareos, Briareus, Bromios, Cadmus, Caeneus, Caenis, Calais, Calchas, Calliope, Callisto, Calypso, Cassandra, Castor, Cecrops, Celaeno, Celoneo, Ceneus, Cerberus, Cercopes, Cerigo, Cerynean Hind, Ceryneian Hind, Cerynitis, Ceto, Chaos, Charites, Charon, Charybdis, Cheiron, Chelone, Chimaera, Chimera, Chione, Chiron, Chloe, Chloris, Chronos, Chronus, Circe, Clio, Clotho, Clymene, Coeus, Coltus, Comus, Cottus, Cotys, Cotytto, Cretan Bull, Crius, Cronos, Cronus, Cybele, Cyclopes, Cynthia, Cyrene, Cytherea, Danae, Daphnaie, Deimos, Deimus, Deino, Delos, Delphyne, Demeter, Demphredo, Deo, Despoena, Deucalion, Deukalion, Dice, Dike, Dione, Dionysos, Dionysus, Dioscuri, Dithyrambos, Doris, Dryades, Dryads, Echidna, Echo, Eileithyia, Eirene, Ekhidna, Ekho, Electra, Electra, Electra, Elektra, Eleuthia, Elpis, Empousa, Empousai, Empusa, Enosichthon, Enyalius, Enyo, Eos, Epaphos, Epaphus, Ephialtes, Epimeliades, Epimeliads, Epimelides, Epimetheus, Epiona, Epione, Epiphanes, Erato, Erebos, Erebus, Erichthoneus, Erichthonius, Erinyes, Eris, Eros, Erotes, Erymanthean Boar, Erymanthian Boar, Erytheia, Erytheis, Erythia, Ether, Eumenides, Eunomia, Euphrosyne, Europa, Euros, Eurus, Euryale, Eurybia, Eurydice, Eurynome, Eurystheus, Euterpe, Fates, Furies, Ga, Gaea, Gaia, Gaiea, Galeotes, Ganymede, Ganymedes, Ge, Geryon, Geryones, Geyron, Glaucus, Gorgons, Graces, Graeae, Graiae, Graii, Gratiae, Gyes, Gyges, Hades, Haides, Halcyone, Hamadryades, Hamadryads, Hapakhered, Harmonia, Harmony, Harpies, Harpocrates, Harpyia, Harpyiai, Hebe, Hecate, Hecatoncheires, Hecatonchires, Hekate, Hekatonkheires, Helen, Helice, Helios, Helius, Hemera, Hemere, Hephaestus, Hephaistos, Hera, Heracles, Herakles, Hermaphroditos, Hermaphroditus, Hermes, Hespera, Hesperethousa, Hesperia, Hesperides, Hesperids, Hesperie, Hesperis, Hesperos, Hesperus, Hestia, Himeros, Hippolyta, Hippolytos, Hippolytta, Hippolytus, Hope, Horae, Horai, Hyacinthus, Hyades, Hydra, Hydriades, Hydriads, Hygeia, Hygieia, Hymen, Hymenaeus, Hymenaios, Hyperion, Hypnos, Hypnus, Hyppolyta, Hyppolyte, Iacchus, Iambe, Iapetos, Iapetus, Ilithyia, Ilythia, Inachus, Ino, Io, Ion, Iphicles, Irene, Iris, Kadmos, Kalais, Kalliope, Kallisto, Kalypso, Kekrops, Kelaino, Kerberos, Keres, Kerkopes, Keto, Khaos, Kharon, Kharybdis, Kheiron, Khelone, Khimaira, Khione, Khloris, Khronos, Kirke, Kleio, Klotho, Klymene, Koios, Komos, Kore, Kottos, Krios, Kronos, Kronus, Kybele, Kyklopes, Kyrene, Lachesis, Laertes, Lakhesis, Lamia, Lampetia, Lampetie, Leda, Leimoniades, Leimoniads, Lethe, Leto, Limoniades, Limoniads, Linus,Maenads, Maia, Maiandros, Maliades, Mares of Diomedes, Meandrus, Medea, Medousa, Medusa, Meliades, Meliads, Meliai, Melidae, Melpomene, Memnon, Menoetius, Menoitos, Merope, Metis, Minos, Minotaur, Mnemosyne, Modesty, Moirae, Moirai, Momos, Momus, Mopsus, Mormo, Mormolykeia, Morpheus, Mousai, Muses, Myiagros, Naiades, Naiads, Naias, Nemean Lion, Nemeian Lion, Nemesis, Nephele, Nereides, Nereids, Nereus, Nike, Nikothoe, Niobe, Nix, Nomios, Nona, Notos, Notus, Nox, Nymphai, Nymphs, Nyx, Oannes, Obriareos, Oceanides, Oceanids, Oceanus, Ocypete, Odysseus, Oeager, Oeagrus, Oenomaus, Oinone, Okeanides, Okypete, Okypode, Okythoe, Omphale, Oreades, Oreads, Oreiades, Oreiads, Oreithuia, Oreithyia, Orion, Orithyea, Orithyia, Orpheus, Orphus, Orth, Orthrus, Ossa, Otus, Ourania, Ouranos, Paeon, Paieon, Paion, Pallas, Pallas, Pallas, Pallas, Pallas Athena, Pan, Panacea, Panakeia, Pandemos, Pandora, Pasiphae, Pasithea, Pegasos, Pegasus, Pelops, Pemphredo, Penia, Penie, Perse, Perseis, Persephone, Perseus, Persis, Perso, Petesuchos, Phaethousa, Phaethusa, Phaeton, Phantasos, Phema, Pheme, Phemes, Philammon, Philomenus, Philyra, Philyre, Phobetor, Phobos, Phobus, Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoibe, Phorcys, Phorkys, Phospheros, Pleiades, Ploutos, Plutus, Podarge, Podarke, Pollux, Polyhymnia, Polymnia, Polyphemos, Polyphemus, Pontos, Pontus, Poros, Porus, Poseidon, Priapos, Priapus, Prometheus, Proteus, Psyche, Pyrrha, Python, Raven God of Kamchatka and Chukotka, Rhadamanthus, Rhadamanthys, Rhamnusia, Rhea, Rheia, Sabazius, Salmoneus, Sarapis, Sarpedon, Scamander, Scylla, Seilenos, Seirenes, Selene, Semele, Serapis, Sibyl of Cumae, Sibyls, Silenos, Silenus, Sirens, Sisyphus, Sito, Skamandros, Skylla, Spercheios, Spercheus, Sperkheios, Sphinx, Sterope, Stheno, Stymphalian Birds, Stymphalion Birds, Styx, Syrinx, Tantalus, Tartaros, Tartarus, Taygete, Telchines, Telkhines, Terpsichore, Terpsikhore, Tethys, Thalassa, Thaleia, Thalia, Thamrys, Thanatos, Thanatus, Thanotos, Thaumas, Thea, Thebe, Theia, Thelxinoe, Themis, Theseus, Thetis, Thetys, Three Fates, Titanes, Titanides, Titans, Tithonus, Triptolemos, Triptolemus, Triton, Tritones, Tyche, Tykhe, Typhoeus, Typhon, Ulysses, Urania, Uranus, Xanthos, Xanthus, Yahweh, Zephyros, Zephyrs, Zephyrus, Zetes, Zethes, Zethus or… Zeus? (…or possibly one of the million or so others that I’ve missed?)

(Source: thecommonsenseconservative, via kristiannemolina)

Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana. Its full Latin title is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanæ cantoribus et choris cantandæ comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis (“Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magic images.”) Carmina Burana is part of Trionfi, the musical triptych that also includes the cantata Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. The best-known movement is “Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi” (“O Fortuna” included above) that opens and closes the piece. Spewtube vid here: [∞]

O Fortuna

velut luna

statu variabilis,

semper crescis

aut decrescis;

vita detestabilis

nunc obdurat

et tunc curat

ludo mentis aciem,

egestatem,

potestatem

dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis

et inanis,

rota tu volubilis,

status malus,

vana salus

semper dissolubilis,

obumbrata

et velata

michi quoque niteris;

nunc per ludum

dorsum nudum

fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis

et virtutis

michi nunc contraria,

est affectus

et defectus

semper in angaria.

Hac in hora

sine mora

corde pulsum tangite;

quod per sortem

sternit fortem,

mecum omnes plangite!

[2. Fortune plango vulnera]

Fortune plango vulnera

stillantibus ocellis

quod sua mihi munera

sub trahit rebellis.

Verum est, quod legitur,

fronte capillata,

sed plerumque sequitur

Occasio calvata.

In Fortune solio

sederam elatus,

prosperitatis vario

floret cornotatus;

quicquid enim florui

felix et beatus,

nunc a summo corrui

gloria privatus.

Fortune rota volvitur:

descendo minoratus;

alter in altum tollitur;

nimis exaltatus

rex sedet in vertice -

caveat ruinam

nam sub axe legimus

Hecubam reginam.

Translation (from Latin above):

To read and speak with elegance and ease,

Are arts polite that never fail to please;

Yet in those arts how very few excel!

Ten thousand men may read—not one read well.

Though all mankind are speakers in a sense,

How few can soar to heights of eloquence!

The sweet melodious singer trills her lays,

And listening crowds go frantic in her praise;

But he who reads or speaks with feeling true,

Charms and delights, instructs, and moves us too.

 - Browne.

paxmachina:

Eight rules for writing fiction:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

(Source: paxmachina, via mohandasgandhi)

pigfartspigfarts:

cyphertoorima:

drainthelake:

(via randomsexfacts)

But Homo sapiens are the only species that discriminate based on this. 

[Side note]: the latin phrase Homo sapien translates to “wise man” or “knowing man”. If only this were true…

Dear Sir/Madam,

You are hereby cordially invited to attend the instance whereby the traversing of time, in the reverse direction, is proven.

It is a requirement of your attendance that the following items be available to you, and that they journey with you through space and time:

• The most recent text books (or equivalent) available.
• A list of all the animals extinct since the time and date mentioned below.
• 2 Hover boards.
• Your equivalent, and the most popular, (if it’s an iPad, please bring the ‘second most popular’) version, of our time’s news paper.
• Proof that the human race has educated itself to the point where its fearful, dishonest, egocentric, arrogant, authoritarian, cruel, anti-intellectual, unhealthy, narrow, legalistic, depreciating, consumerist, homophobic, misogynistic, contradictory nature is discussed in history and psychology journals.
• The complete record of my death (with photos!).
• An assortment of toys that children (between the age of 1 and 100) of your time commonly play with.
• History books.

The space and time coordinates of this gathering are as follows:

• Time: 06:30 AEST
• Date: 25/06/2010
• Location: -27.457611,153.050156

RSVP not required.

1633: Galileo Galilei, who has run afoul of the church for his theories concerning heliocentrism and for insulting his old friend Pope Urban VIII, arrives in Rome to face an ecclesiastical court on charges of committing heresy.

Galileo’s long-running feud with the Roman Catholic Church over whether the Earth revolved around the sun (the Copernican view advocated by Galileo) or the sun around the Earth (the Aristotelian view echoed in the scriptures) seemed amicably resolved by 1632. But that was before the publication of Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, a book that the pope had allowed to be published as long as his own views on the subject were included.

Galileo included them, but inexplicably (for no malicious intent on the part of Galileo has ever been proven) put Urban’s words into the mouth of his character Simplicius, a defender of Aristotelian geocentrism who was often proved wrong and considered something of a fool. This didn’t go down too well in Rome and Galileo was summoned to face the Inquisition.

He was found guilty and the sentence was severe: He was forced to renounce heliocentrism, Dialogue was banned and Galileo spent the remainder of his life under house arrest. In this last he was lucky: The original sentence called for imprisonment.

Source: [∞]

…a cognitive bias in which “people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it”. The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average, much higher than in actuality; by contrast, the highly skilled underrate their abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to a perverse result where less competent people will rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence because competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. “Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.”